Yes, The CIA Hired Magicians, Chapter Two: The Hidden Hands

Stuff They Don't Want You To Know

iHeartPodcasts

Society & Culture

4.3 • 10.7K Ratings

🗓️ 21 February 2025

⏱️ 67 minutes

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Summary

While it might sound weird to think of the CIA conspiring to hire magicians, tradecraft and stage magic actually have a lot in common: sleight-of-hand, misdirection, performance -- you name it. With all this in mind, the CIA hired globetrotting magician John Mulholland to teach the world's most dangerous spies the hidden strategies for magic, and how to translate these entertainment skills to real world theft, smuggling, and homicide. The catch? Mulholland could never breathe a word about this for the rest of his life.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	From UFOs to psychic powers and government conspiracies, history is riddled with unexplained events.
0:06.9	You can turn back now or learn the stuff they don't want you to know.
0:12.0	A production of IHeart Radio.
0:25.8	Hello, welcome back to the show.
0:26.8	My name is Matt.
0:28.0	My name is Noel.
0:29.6	They call me Ben.
0:33.5	We're joined as always with our super producer, Andrew the Triforce Howard.
0:35.5	Most importantly, you are you.
0:36.5	You are here.
0:40.2	That makes this, the stuff they don't want you to know.
0:43.2	Here's where it gets crazy.
0:44.1	Already?
0:48.7	Previously, on stuff they don't want you to know, we asked, does the CIA actually hire magicians?
0:52.7	Short answer?
0:53.8	Yes. As bizarre as it sounds. Yes, Short answer, yes.
0:54.7	As bizarre as it sounds.
0:56.4	Yes, absolutely yes, dudes.
0:58.7	The CIA hired professional magicians.
1:02.3	Yes, and of course we are not talking about practitioners of the dark arts,
1:06.5	though that's its own thing and a question perhaps for another day.
1:10.0	As we know, operations involving,
	...

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